Phased array antenna systems are used to provide control over one or more beams transmitted or received thereby. The amount of electronics with which a phased array antenna system must be populated to provide beam forming and beam steering functions adds to the cost, power consumption, and mass of the system.
One approach to reducing the amount of electronics with which a phased array antenna system must be provided has been to reduce the number of individual antenna elements in the system. If this approach is implemented while maintaining a fixed antenna area, it irrevocably reduces the scanning range and coverage area of the system.
Accordingly, there is a need to reduce the number of electronics with which a phased array antenna system must be populated while preserving the scanning range of the system. The present invention satisfies this need and provides other advantages as well.